Series III. CHRONOLOGICAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1956-2013 (#58.6-77.2, E.17-E.18)

Series III, CHRONOLOGICAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1956-2013 (#58.6-77.2, E.17-E.18), contains letters and printed emails documenting Atkinson's feminist activities and professional activities, as well as aspects of her personal life, including issues relating to her health and financial difficulties. A small number of letters from the late 1950s to the early 1960s provide a glimpse into Atkinson's life as a young wife and art student, but do not provide much insight into her daily routines or personal philosophies at the time. The majority of the correspondence focuses on Atkinson's life as a central figure in the radical feminist movement, her work as a philosophy student and professor, and her role as a cat breeder and expert on the care of cats.

Personal correspondence documents Atkinson's financial struggles, including assistance she received from friends in the form of loans and events, such as rent parties, organized to help Atkinson pay her rent and other essential bills. Contributing to Atkinson's financial difficulties were several health crises, which prevented her from working. Letters document Atkinson's concern and frustration over her tenuous contract teaching positions, which did not pay well and did not include medical insurance, disability benefits, or time off. Atkinson's physical problems are documented in exchanges with doctors and friends and include accounts of treatments and the cost of medical treatments. In 1978, Atkinson had a hysterectomy. While initial correspondence around the event documents her fear following a diagnosis of pre-uterine cancer, later correspondence reveals her anger upon later learning that she had been misinformed of the diagnosis.

Correspondence from the 1960s and 1970s documents Atkinson's involvement in mainstream feminist activities and her evolution into a radical feminist. Letters from other feminists document meetings of feminist organizations; discuss other feminists; and contain accounts of interactions where Atkinson was the topic of conversation. Letters frequently discuss the physical and mental health struggles of several feminists, often as heard from a third party. Other letters contain rumors relating to CIA infiltrations in the feminist movement and speculation over Gloria Steinem's CIA connections.

In the 1980s, Atkinson withdrew from much of her feminist activities to focus on her academic studies. Although she continued to correspond with other feminists, particularly French feminists including Michele Le Doeuff and Christine Delphy, much of Atkinson's correspondence from the 1980s through the 2000s is focused on her efforts to write her dissertation, her employment and financial situations, and her interactions with her students. During this period, Atkinson began breeding and selling cats and began corresponding with other cat breeders and owners on issues including cat behaviors, training, genetics, and medical treatments.